We all grew very familiar with parks near our places as parks mean fun with other people especially with our family. It’s the place where we could play, have a picnic or spend time chatting without worries. Having a park in the neighborhood is awesome but a national park is much bigger and a great thing for a country and for its people to be proud of. National parks are areas protected by the government to preserve its natural beauty thus protecting it from human development. Many countries possess it and one of it is a well-developed country of Croatia located in the southern Europe.
Croatia has eight popular national parks protected by its government since 1949. Each of them has a separate institution that maintains the welfare of every national park in Croatia possess. Plitvice Lakes is one of the famous national park in Croatia. It consists of sixteen small lakes surrounded by waterfalls. The park is rich with its dense forest and blessed by Korana River with springs. It is also a good spot for hikers, walkers and nature lovers anytime they want to visit the protected park.
Paklenica national park shows the most of the attractive parts and highest peaks of southern Velebit like its two inspiring canyons, the Velika and Mala Paklenica. Caves, diverse flora and fauna are to be found in Paklenica. Visitors often see deer, red deer and wild boars though some say that predator species such as the brown bear, lynx, and wolves do exist too. Derived from the Croatian word “ris” which means lynx, Risnjak is the third proclaimed national park in Croatia. Walking, climbing and mountaineering are popular because of the second highest mountain in Croatia called Risnjak. People tend to visit Lokvarska cave during summer with its array of stalagmites, stalactites, and calcified columns. Other popular areas of the place are the Devil’s passage at Skrad and Cicarija mountains.
Mljet was the next national park declared in 1960’s. The park occupies 1/3 of Mljet Island in the west with two salt-water lakes named Veliko and Malo Jezero. Swimming is the popular activity in Mljet national park because of these two lakes is enclosed with forest’s pine trees. One of the lake Veliko Jezero’s attractions is having an island called Melita with a Benedictine monastery in it. Those who want to get away from the city life, Kornati island national park is a great place to visit where only farming is the main activity a visitor can do. Located in the islands of Brijuni, there are lots to see in Brijuni national park as its natural, cultural and historical heritage here were preserved due to the island’s gap, away from the mainland.
Visitors are able to see the wonders of Croatia’s Karst landscapes in Krka national park with its pleasant Mediterranean climate perfect for walking as you see different waterfalls, rivers, and varied flora and fauna. The north of Velebit became the last declared national park because of its fascinating area. Visitors will love the North Velebit’s landscapes formed with karst landforms. The life of this park’s flora depends with the location and altitude and bears are the popular wildlife that can be found in its dense forest.